The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1887-05-07

name, o little in,paticntly, as if tho delay
was their fault. At the first, tho illusion was
perfect. Anscomb was there! know-I
know, boys,"-hc said quickly. ~ thought in
q moment-but the call went on lust the
same-seemcd to me, and seemed to hear it.
Well, when the last one took his place.
opened the door, on to the floor. OF course
the inside was darker. Well"-a pause.
The listeners-Well, whatl
R.-Well, there Anscomb sat, on tho big
beam, bumped over, his head on one side, his
old hat OH US usual, peering uncannily down
at me-"
All i'll chorus-Did you look up at hima
R.-No, would not look up, determined
l would not. belong to set-pausing.
Monroe-Not easily upset.
R.-Wcll, had l looked, certainly should
have seen him, or seemed to-I did not, would
not, never have; all the same, he was there
or the impression that he was as COM
plete and perfect as if my eyes, the touch
of my hands, lad verified tiff it was touch
able. Well, all had to do was to feed.
There was plenty of hay just over the bay.
took fork, got over the girt, pitched the
hay over, and fejl each of tho COWS, heifors
and steers-compelling myself to do it
leisurely, and well-an the time feeling the
eyes of the impish figure, perched above me,
watching every motion. When it was done,
spoke out. There, that will do, think"
s.ooa half expecting an answer; got none,
and Went out, closed the door, and Us did so
from the outside, there l seemed to hear
little low, ctIucklng laugh opened the
door again; OF course all was still save the
cattle. AS went away seemed to hear the
calls to tho cows rs usual So strong was
the impression that | went to tho house and
looked at the dead face in the coffin, clean
shaved, dark, q manly, handsome face, with
black hair slightly gray, early gray, showing
q fine, high, narrow forehead, serene, soft,
tho face almost sweet i'll its expression. As
looked upon it the weird impression drifted
out and away from me. The next day was
the funeral OF course. That was In the reign
of John Whitlan. my young Engishman
He came over young and had learned to be
like us, though the things in which all Eng
lishman is most like IN American are tho
ones in which ho resembles us the least, l find
"'Ihat's So" affirmed Monroe, who lived on
tho border of small England.
"Well," resumed r., ~ managed so that
John Whitan should attend at the lower
barn the night after the funeral. The pro-
cncc of near thousand and l wished to test
my Illusion l said not world never havo
savo rs do now. Well, John went whist
ling on In his largo way down across the
road. 1t was getting dusk and l waited und
watched over the border. Well, in about ten
minutes or less he came hurryng back toe
excited to speak. met him outside. Made
short work, l said to him. Short work. his
eyes starting, his face ghnstly. BY - he's
thcre-thc old man himself, cooked up on the
big lean theren 'Sh-h.h-h,' said trying to
hush him up. We'll, by - ho is Nothing
but your John Bull Imagination l said,
enough to frishtcm anybody but a Yankee
You may go an see for yourself he oil
swcred. Il will l took n lantern and went
with him. On the way he told me that lie
heard a voice inside tho barn; he paid no ut
tention, opened the stable door, when Ans
comb called down: Cherry, Brin, Spot. Suke,'
ma so Oh as the cows went in. He rushed to
the door leading to the barn floor and
there sat Anscomb on the big beam. John
broke for nc. English arc plucky enough
where mere flesh is concerncd-this was too
much. As we approached tho barn-sThere!
there! Don't you hear him9 Don't you hear
hing exclaimed John. Well, l did seem to,
but let on nothing. The door was open, l
stepped in, John followed. 'Thercl there!
there! See I'm. Sec 'ilnn John cried, in an
awfully frightened voice. l felt him. would
not look up, hut quietly lit the wick, which
burned up quick, and strongly,
II held it up. and did look up Tho beam
WIS vacant, nlf the upper part empty Il zee
notiiingn | answered, shifting the lamp about
by -! by -!nor do L. said Whitlan,
about as much surprised as before Here,
hold the lantern, while feed Them said to
him. He took the fork, pitched the hay over
the gir., and distributed it to the waiting
cattle. We went out, closed the door in 81
lcnce, and moved away. There! there!
DON'T you hear 'iml Don't you hear 'imf ex-
claimed John. l laughed i'll u mako as if
way, the best could do. tho't did hear
him, and continued to, till some rods away.
II told Whitlun to hold his tongue for his
own sake, as well as for the sake Of our neigh
bors. Nobody would believe he had seen or
heard anything, and it would only annoy
the family. l don't think he did for some
time after.
''Well, the boys themselves, with some of
their cousins-"ho came to stay with them
did the chores there or undertook to, the next
night. They heard the voice. saw the impish
figure, ran back to tho house, sent over tome,
and with my lantern went over. 1t was a
worse timo than on the first nght-the night
of The tragedy. OF course, when went, it
was still, and nothing could be seen. l tried
to explain it away, as u merc, rather wide
spread illusion, amounting to clellsion, and
such have always regarded it, and pacified
them for the time. Well, it was the same
the next night, and the next l told them
they had for the time better remove the
cattle and not use the barn, for the ghost had
now taken such hold Of them that there
wouls! Ge no other way, l feared.
"That was tho beginning of it. Everything
was right i'll the morning, during the day, all
day, til! the approach Of night, then the calls
began, and when the inside was dusky with
oncoming night, men fancied they saw the
shapelcss form. Light up and it vanished
with the shadows nor wcs the voice heard
when any one was in the barn. Go out, close
the door, and it began again. Sometimes,
when one left, the first thing was low,
snickering laugh. Well, it was all over
from that night. 1t got out-the neighbors
came, till far and near there was excitement
it got into the papers Once in while one
came who could neither see nor hear any
thing. Finally the season grew warm, the
cattle We're changed to sheds elsewhere. but it
made 10 difference with the thing, whatever
1t was, something or nothing, that remained
Those who wanted itcould always find it, at
twilight, could hear it, seem to see it in the
dusk Strike light and it was not there
'They used the barn that summer, but never
after much. A new house was built further
away. The frost finally upset the underpin-
ming at one corner. which fell down little.
Weeds grew rank about it; finally trees camo
up around it. Folks had fancy for pines
aud funeral evergreens at an early day, and
there was clump of these that quite cut the
Old barn off from the old house. A thicket
of Wild piunls from one originally planted
grew up, tall and thick, between it and the
ROAD. Naples, beeches, sprang up. The
swallows ceased to build in it, the rats de-
serted it, men ceased to speak of it, no one
went near it, and so it in a way died off. 1t
is there still'
Then there vas talk about what it was, if
anything, among the old boys, of whom the
two from Michigan had never visited the